Listening to Stone

by Dan Snow, photographs by Peter Mauss

In his highly anticipated second book, Dan Snow once again proves that he is not just one of America's premier artisans, but also one of our most articulate voices on the natural world and our relationship to it. Snow's medium is stone: He is the nation's premier drystone wall builder. Schooled in this ancient craft, he painstakingly creates structures as breathtaking as sculpture with nothing but gravity as their glue. In  Listening to Stone, Peter Mauss's tactile photographs of Snow's artistry are matched by the artisan's quietly compelling prose.

Snow demonstrates astonishing range as he touches on such subjects as geology, philosophy, and community. We learn that stone's grace come from its unique characteristics—its capacity to give, its suprising fluidity, its ability to demand respect, and its role as a steadying force in nature. In these fast-paced times, Snow's life's work offers an antidote: the luxury of patience, the bounty and quietude of nature, the satisfaction of sweat. "I work with stone," he ultimately tells us, "because stone is so much work."

"This is a haunting, remarkable book—one that I will read again and again." –Jay Parini

Dan Snow is also the author of  In the Company of Stone.

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